Jets Re-Sign Leon Gawanke
August 2: Today, the Jets officially announced Gawanke’s contract extension.
August 1: The Jets have taken care of one of their remaining restricted free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed defenseman Leon Gawanke to a one-year, two-way deal. The contract will pay $750K in the NHL, $125K in the minors, and has a guarantee of $150K.
The 23-year-old, who was a fifth-round pick of Winnipeg back in 2017 (136th overall), recently finished up his entry-level contract. He has yet to play at the NHL level and spent last season with AHL Manitoba where he had 10 goals and 26 assists in 65 games, earning him an invitation to play for Germany at the World Championship where he got into four games.
Gawanke is now waiver-eligible so it won’t be as easy for Winnipeg to send him down next season. At this point, it’s unlikely that he will break camp with the Jets unless there are injuries or trades so he will have to be exposed to waivers to return to the Moose. Even without any NHL experience, that could be risky as young right-shot blueliners are often in demand. If he makes it back to Manitoba, Gawanke will once again be an all-situations player and should have a chance to get his first NHL opportunity in 2022-23.
Nikita Chibrikov Traded In The KHL
Svechkov was the Nashville Predators first-round selection, 19th overall in 2021. The forward made his KHL debut in 2021-22, getting in four games, but was primarily a dynamic playmaker for SKA’s VHL team, where he had nine goals and 22 assists in 30 games. The 50th overall selection in 2021, to the Winnipeg Jets, Chibrikov is another dynamic forward who spent time at the KHL, VHL, and MHL levels this season with SKA. The majority of his time was also spent with Svechkov in the VHL, where he had an impressive 15 goals and 16 assists in 28 games.
Jets Offered Danton Heinen More Than Penguins
- When Danton Heinen opted to re-sign with Pittsburgh on a one-year, $1MM deal, it seemed a little on the light side relative to his production. He was, after all, coming off an 18-goal, 33-point season. However, it wasn’t the biggest offer he had as Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe relays (Twitter link) that several teams, including the Jets, tendered higher offers. Heinen would have made some sense for Winnipeg – they have some cap flexibility this summer that they haven’t had in recent years which gives them the flexibility to upgrade their depth. Fortunately for them, there are several similar wingers still on the market and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them pivot to one of those before long.
Latest On Pierre-Luc Dubois
Very few players have had as much discussion surrounding them this offseason than Pierre-Luc Dubois. Even after accepting the one-year, $6MM qualifying-offer the Winnipeg Jets made him, the discussion around Dubois has not quieted down. Recently, The Athletic’s Murat Ates and Arpon Basu had a chance to sit down with Dubois and discuss where he lies with his contract, rumors of a trade request, and his status as an impending UFA in the summer of 2024 (subscription required).
Notably, when asked about his decision to accept the qualifying-offer and his plans for free agency in two years, Dubois explained that this one-year contract at the $6MM rate was what he and his agent, Pat Brisson, believed to be the best fit for him at this point in his career. When asked specifically about his willingness to sign long-term in Winnipeg, the Jets star said that was something to be decided at the conclusion of his current contract.
On attending the draft in Montreal with the expectation that he would be traded to the Montreal Canadiens that night, as reported by Radio-Canada Sports’ Martin Leclerc and confirmed by The Athletic, which has since been walked-back, Dubois contended that he did so because his bank had invited him and he lived close to the area. Lastly, Dubois made it clear that he did not request a trade from the Jets, telling Ates and Basu “If I wanted out, I would have asked for a trade. I didn’t ask for a trade.”
Sitting down for the interview with The Athletic shows Dubois is intent on tidying up what could be seen as a divisive and difficult situation. Regardless of what he and his representatives do and don’t want, the forward is obligated to spend the next two years in Winnipeg if the Jets choose, so keeping the situation as amicable as possible, even if he does not have his heart in Winnipeg would be wise. Dubois’ answers were also rather to the point and not very elaborative, not necessarily clearing all that much up on the situation, outside of making his formal position clear.
Still, the decision to make his position clear, and his views, taken as true, represent a move in good faith to put speculation to bed. With a contract in place, Dubois and the Jets can focus on the season ahead as the team tries to rebound from a disappointing 2021-22 that saw them finish sixth in the Central Division. On top of helping Winnipeg succeed, Dubois will also have the opportunity to build on his 28 goal, 32 assist campaign and build value towards his next contract, as well as his looming free agency. For now, it appears the Dubois rumors will quiet down as the 24-year-old appears intent on going into next season as a cornerstone member of the Jets.
Pierre-Luc Dubois Accepts Qualifying Offer
5:10 PM: The Jets have now officially announced the extension.
3:40 PM: With his name featuring heavily in trade rumors, Pierre-Luc Dubois has taken himself one step closer to an exit from Winnipeg. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Dubois has chosen to accept his one-year, $6MM qualifying offer in advance of the upcoming deadline.
This means that Dubois has, at least for this summer, elected to not sign a long-term deal with the Jets, as many have expected. Dubois will be an unrestricted free agent in two years’ time. Dubois’ representation has communicated a desire for their client to end up playing for the Montreal Canadiens and Dubois actually attended the draft in Montreal because he believed a trade would be completed on the draft floor. That did not happen, though, so Dubois has now accepted his qualifying offer as a means of simplifying his exit from Winnipeg.
The Jets surrendered two significant players to acquire Dubois: Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic and did so because they believed a one-two punch at the center position of Dubois and Mark Scheifele would be the key to the next era of contending Jets squads.
That pairing of Dubois and Scheifele doesn’t look like it’ll remain in place for much longer, as the Jets will have to decide if they want to deal Dubois this summer or continue with him on the roster in the hopes that he changes his mind about staying in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Johnathan Kovacevic
The Winnipeg Jets have signed restricted free agent Johnathan Kovacevic to a three-year contract, which will carry an NHL cap hit of $766,700. The deal is a two-way contract in the first two years and a one-way contract in 2024-25.
PuckPedia provides the full breakdown:
- 2022-23: $750K NHL / $150K AHL / $175K guaranteed
- 2023-24: $775K NHL / $250K AHL / $275K guaranteed
- 2024-25: $775K
Kovacevic, 25, made his NHL debut this season and played in four games for the Jets but mostly continued his stellar play for their minor league affiliate. A 6’5″ defenseman that can contribute at both ends of the rink is incredibly valuable, and his play for the Manitoba Moose was a big reason why they finished with a 41-24-7 record.
With 30 points in 62 games, the 2017 third-round pick continued his offensive improvement and has worked his way up to being a legitimate call-up option for the Jets. The interesting part about that is that he is no longer waiver-exempt, meaning they could potentially lose him if they try to send him to the minor leagues.
In fact, that may be part of why the two sides agreed on a multi-year deal like this. Teams rarely want to pluck these kinds of commitments off the waiver wire without any previous experience with the player, meaning Kovacevic likely is able to slip through once again. That is of course unless he makes the Jets out of camp, though with how many other defensemen will be in line for NHL opportunity, that is unlikely.
Winnipeg Jets Sign Jeff Malott
July 22: The Jets have officially announced the contract, confirming the term and NHL cap hit.
July 21: The Winnipeg Jets are bringing back restricted free agent forward Jeff Malott on a two-year, two-way contract, per CapFriendly. The contract carries a $762.5K cap hit and will take him to unrestricted free agency in 2024. The breakdown is as follows:
2022-23: $750K NHL salary, $125K minors salary
2023-24: $775K NHL salary, $175K minors salary
Malott made his NHL debut this season, playing just 4:06 in a singular game. He did manage to take a minor penalty in that time as well. That’s not a strong indicator of his overall success, though, as he’s put together two strong professional seasons since graduating from the Cornell University program in 2020.
He was stuck in the ECHL for four games in 2020-21 but made an impact when given the chance in the AHL with Manitoba, notching 14 goals, six assists, and 20 points in 34 games during his first professional season. He solidified a top-six role in Manitoba this past season, too, breaking the 20-goal mark and finishing with 41 points in 62 games.
He’ll be turning 26 next month, and while there’s likely not a whole lot of long-term NHL upside with Malott, he’s showing he can be a solid contributor at the top of an AHL lineup and should be higher up on Winnipeg’s list of call-up options.
Winnipeg Jets Hire Brad Lauer, Marty Johnston
The Winnipeg Jets have finished their staff, naming Brad Lauer and Marty Johnston as the new assistants under head coach Rick Bowness and associate coach Scott Arniel. Nolan Baumgartner will be joining the Manitoba Moose as an assistant, taking over the role that Johnston held the past five seasons.
Lauer, 55, recently won the WHL championship as head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, finishing a four-year run with the club that saw nearly unprecedented success. The Oil Kings went 154-46-23 over his tenure, as he helped top prospects like Dylan Guenther and Jake Neighbours reach entirely new heights. He returns to the NHL where he coached for seven seasons as an assistant with the Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 34th overall pick in 1985, the Saskatchewan native played more than 300 games in the NHL, retiring in 2002 after a short stint in the UK.
Johnston, meanwhile, is being promoted from the AHL where he served as an assistant since 2017. Before that, he was the head coach at Carleton University for seven seasons, where he led the school to a 129-49-12 record. This will be his first opportunity to coach in the NHL, a nice jump for a coach who will be one to keep an eye on in the future.
The staff will also include goaltending coach Wade Flaherty and video coach Matt Prefontaine.
Jets Sign Saku Maenalanen
The Jets have decided to give Saku Maenalanen another opportunity in North America as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed the center to a one-year, two-way deal. The contract will pay $750K in the NHL and $225K in the minors.
This will be the 28-year-old’s second stint in North America after spending the 2018-19 campaign with Carolina. He split that season between the NHL and AHL, picking up eight points in 34 games with the Hurricanes (while also getting into nine postseason contests) and added 14 points in 31 appearances in the minors. However, while Carolina tendered him a qualifying offer in 2019, he opted to go back overseas instead.
Since then, Maenalanen has played in Finland, spending two years with Jokerit in the KHL before joining Karpat of the SM-liiga last season. He was quite productive in 2021-22, leading the team in scoring with 41 points in 47 games while also making appearances for Finland at the Olympics and World Championships. That was enough to convince Winnipeg to offer Maenalanen another NHL opportunity while the center walks away from the two remaining years on his Finnish contract to do so.
Winnipeg has several roster spots up front to fill next season so as things stand, there will be some openings in training camp in the fall. With him doing reasonably well in a limited role with Carolina in the past, Maenalanen could have an inside track on one of those openings with the Jets likely opting once again to turn to low-cost depth to round out their roster for 2022-23.
Winnipeg Jets Do Not File For Salary Arbitration With Pierre-Luc Dubois
As today’s 5:00 pm ET deadline for teams to file for club-elected player salary arbitration came and went, the Winnipeg Jets apparently chose not to file for arbitration with forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, says Murat Ates of The Athletic (subscription required). The decision didn’t appear as much of a surprise given Dubois’ and the Jets’ situation, and allows both sides to continue discussing a long-term extension or perhaps explore different trade scenarios as has been speculated. Winnipeg had previously issued a $6.65MM qualifying-offer to Dubois in order to retain his rights and give both sides the ability to file for arbitration.
There are several reasons as to why the Jets may have decided not to file for arbitration with Dubois. Firstly, if contract discussions have been amicable and progressive, electing for arbitration and forcing a decision, either through negotiation or arbitration, may have served to disrupt a positive situation. Another reason could be, given the $6.65MM qualifying-offer, Winnipeg would have to file, at minimum, at that number in arbitration with the strong possibility Dubois could be awarded even more. Lastly, because Dubois is two years removed from unrestricted free agency, it was also possible an arbitrator would award the 24-year-old with a two-year contract that would carry him directly to the UFA market in 2024, something not only Winnipeg would want to avoid, but perhaps also the team they could trade him to, if they elected to go down that road.